Guidance for HDD PCB replacement

We have an external USB hard drive that is no longer recognized by any computer. When it is connected to a computer USB port, the drive lights up and spins, but it is not detected as any new device in Device Manager on Windows. It seems likely that some electronics or the USB port on the PCB is broken, so we are hoping that replacing the PCB fixes this. The actual drive indicates model WD20SMZW-11JW8S0, and the PCB is marked 2060-800067-001 – so we purchased the PCB from you that matches both of these numbers (see order confirmation below). Could you kindly offer some guidance?:

I understand that the board itself needs to be replaced, and I have read your helpful guide for Western Digital PCB swaps. However, I am not clear about whether any BIOS chips or other components must be swapped/exchanged as the PCB I bought from you seems to be exactly the same model as the one on the existing drive. I attached a picture of the existing device, with the original PCB still on it. (The number 2060-800067-001 is marked at the top right, in orange color, upside-down.) Can you clarify whether we probably just need to swap the board – or if we also need to swap chips? If we need to swap more than the board, where are the chips on the original PCB that should be moved to the replacement PCB, and where would we install them on the replacement PCB?

I am attaching three photos that may help you:

• The drive with the original PCB still installed
• The original PCB – the bottom side (which is not visible until it is removed from the rive)
• The drive with the original PCB removed

Thank you very much for your help.

Replacement the PCB will not solve the problem below.

    * The drive will power up normally (no ticking noises, errors etc) but will not be recognized by the computer

    * The drive will power up normally and be recognized correctly but will report a size of 0 bytes

    * The drive will power up but report SMART errors on boot

Those problem is caused by the HDD firmware corrupted.You can find a data recovery company help.

Thank you for the quick response. That would be disappointing considering the extra time and expense it could involve, but we do want to think realistically. Western Digital told me they felt replacing the board could help.

Given that we have the replacement PCB now, I feel it’s worth trying to replace it if it does not involve much risk. If we were to replace the board, would it require replacing/swapping any chips?

BIOS need to be changed.